Elastic fabric



March 10, 1931. l J. v. MOORE ELASTIC FABRIC Filed March 1. 1929 159M228??? I I 7077/? 7%10/" 4V arr-ic 4 rpm-' 3 Patented Mar. 10, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN V. MOORE, OF PAW'IUOKET, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO MOORE FABRIC'COM- PANY, OF PAWT'UCKET, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND ELASTIC Application filed March 1,

This invention relates to the production of curvilinear elastic fabric and more particularly to the production of relatively narrow elastic fabric, adapted for use in sanitary belts, garters and other similar articles.

It is the object of my invention to provide an improved curvilinear elastic fabric, togetherwith an improved method of production thereof.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will 7 be hereinafter described and more particuportions of a narrow fabric loom including a breast beam 10, a lay 11 having guide blocks 12 in which the usual shuttles are reciprocated, a reed 13, a plurality of harnesses 14, a warp guide-roll 15 at the rear of the harnesses, and an assembly reed 16, preferably mounted above the guide-roll 15. The reed 13 is preferably graduated with the dents more closely together toward the left hand end of the reed, as viewed in the drawing. Groups of elastic warp threads W are wound on sectional warp beams 20, mounted for independent rotation and separately tensioned by friction devices 22, of which one only is shown. It will be understood, however, that one such device is provided for each warp beam 20.

The war 5 W pass from the beams 20 over an elevate ide-bar 24 and thence to the assembly ree 16. Binder warps B are wound on a singlecylindrical warp beam 30 mounted for separate rotation and separately tensioned by a friction device 31.

' The woven fabric F passes over the breast beam 10 to a conical take-up roll 40,-mounted on a shaft 41 and positively driven. A guideroll 42 increases the lap of the fabric F on the take-up roll 40 and the fabric passes from the roll 42 to a conical cloth roll 44. A coni- FA-BRIC 1929. Serial No. 843,662.

c'alguide-roll 46 may be provided on the breast beam 10.

The method of production of curvilinear elastic fabric by use of the mechanism described is as follows:

The woven fabric is drawn downward by the conical take-up roll 40, but the non-elastic binder warp threads B are supplied from the cylindrical warp beam 30. The joint effect is to tension the binder warps increasing towards the large end of the take-up roll 40, leaving the binder warps toward the smaller end relatively slack.

The elastic warp threads W are woven under relatively heavy but substantially uniform tension, which tension is maintained uniform during the weaving, as the warp beams are mounted @to rotate independently and will let off a greater length of warp toward the side of the fabric corresponding to the larger end of the take-up roll 40.

The more tightly the binder warps are tensioned, the more firmly they bind the elastic warps. The more tightly the elastic warps are bound into the fabric, the less they are able to contract when the fabric is released from the weaving tension.

Consequently the edge of the fabric where the binder warps are under greater tension and more tightly woven will be longer upon releasethan the edge of the fabric where the binder warps are relatively slack tensioned. The fabric will thus assume a curvilinear shape, with the long edge of the fabric towards the larger end of the take-up roll 40.

The results thus far described could be attained'with a reed of uniform spacing, but

the curvilinear effect is increased by use of the graduated reed 13, which crowds the warp threads more closely together at the long edge of the fabric, thus increasing the close binding of the elastic warps and still further reducing therelative contraction thereof at the long edge.

If still further curvature is desired, a slightly tapered warp beam 60 (Fig. 2) may be substituted for the straight warp beam 30 shown in Fig. 1. If the larger end of the warp beam 60 is placed at the right, or toward the short edge of the woven fabric, the

slackness of the binder warps on the short edge will be accentuated and a sharper curvature will be secured.

No claim is presented herein involving the conical or variable take-up or the method of operation thereof as this forms the subjectmatter of a divisional application Serial No.

438,785, filed by me Mar. 25, 1930.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what I claim is A curvilinear elastic fabric comprising rubber War threads, binder warp ,threads intersperse with said rubber warp threads, and filling threads interwoven with said rubber and binder warp threads and each extending across the entire width of the fabric, said binder warps being of increasing slackness from one edge to the other of the fabric and said rubber warp threads being under substantial tension in the finished fabric, with the. tension of the rubber warp threads increasing progressively from edge to edge of the fabric and toward the edge having the tighter binder warp threads, whereby a definite and permanent curvilinear set is pro-' duced in the fabric.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aifixed my signature' JOHN V. MOORE. 

